No one will be surprised, but ESPN is already taking unnecessary shots at Tennessee Vols quarterback Joe Milton. 

ESPN recently detailed each FBS team's turnover luck — specifically with interceptions. 

According to ESPN, no college football team was "luckier" than Tennessee when it came to tipped passes being intercepted in 2022. 

Only 6.7 percent of the Vols' tipped passes in 2022 were intercepted. That was the lowest rate among college teams this past season. According to ESPN's metrics, Tennessee should've thrown 3.8 more interceptions last season than they actually did. 

(Note: Tennessee only had 30 passes defensed in 2022 which was the seventh-fewest in college football.)

While delivering the note about the tipped passes, ESPN's Bill Connelly made sure to suggest that Milton is "mistake-prone". 

From ESPN: 

They should have thrown 3.8 more interceptions than they did, and that's certainly something in mind as the QB reins get passed from Hendon Hooker to the more historically mistake-prone Joe Milton III, but plenty of teams were higher.

Using the phrase "mistake-prone" in the same sentence with Milton's name simply isn't fair to the redshirt senior quarterback. 

This narrative that Milton is inaccurate and wildly inconsistent has gotten out of control. 

Sure, Milton missed some passes during his first couple of starts with the Vols in 2021, but judging him on those two games (Bowling Green and Pittsburgh) isn't wise. 

Milton was in a brand new offense with new teammates and new coaches. It was an adjustment period for everyone. The Tennessee team we saw in early 2021 isn't the same team we'll see in 2023. And Milton, who continued to progress while backing up Hendon Hooker, isn't the same quarterback now as he was in 2021, either. 

When it comes to the "more mistake-prone" narrative, there really isn't anything to back it up. 

Milton has yet to throw an interception at Tennessee. He's attempted 144 passes and none of them have been intercepted. In his entire college career, he's thrown six interceptions in 296 attempts (once every 50 passes). 

Hooker threw 12 interceptions during his college career with five of those coming at Tennessee. For his career, Hooker threw an interception once every 78 passes. And at Tennessee, he threw an interception once every 87 passes. 

Before arriving at Tennessee, Hooker threw an interception once every 44 passes. So it's fair to suggest that Milton — when his career is complete at UT — will have a similar interception rate as Hooker. 

(For comparison's sake, Kentucky quarterback Will Levis, a favorite of NFL draft analysts, threw an interception once every 29 attempts in college.)

The career interception rate for Milton is a little higher than Hooker's right now. But while wearing Orange and White, Milton is technically "less turnover prone". 

Milton obviously has to go prove that he can play at a high level for an entire season. That's fair to point out. But using the phrase "turnover prone" to describe Milton in any way is completely unfair. 

Unfortunately for Milton, it's a narrative that he'll likely have to deal with for at least a few weeks in 2023. Eventually, ESPN and the national media will come around on Milton. But he's not going to get the benefit of the doubt thanks to this narrative about him that simply won't go away.